Function of Alarm Calling
The aim of this research is to undertake an extensive comparative analysis of the evolution of alarm call communication in two species of Cynomys, Cynomys ludovicianus and Cynomys gunnisoni, and test the general hypothesis that the evolution of alarm calls in social groups proceeds from an initial mechanism of warning kin in small social groups, to a mechanism that evolves to communicate information to all individuals in a society, regardless of relatedness. This work is in collaboration with
Dr. Constantine Slobodchikoff at Northern Arizona University.
Alarm Call Specificity
In collaboration with
Dr. Constantine Slobodchikoff at Northern Arizona University and
Dr. John Placer at East Carolina University, this long-term research program continues to examine the specificity of Gunnisons prairie dog alarm calls and transmission of semantic information encoded in those calls
